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Billowing smoke rises above the trees during the Custer National Park fire in western South Dakota
this summer. Photo by Kari Rolfing.
p. 4
Photo survey:
How do you feel
about Olympics?
Augustana College "Reflecting Augustana life for over 80 years" Thursday, September 22, 1988
Sioux Falls, South Dakota Volume 72, Number 2
Fire!
Students' summer jobs upset by national park blaze near Custer
by Beth Onnen
staff writer
This past summer, a group of
Augie students was part of a
tragedy that made national
headlines almost daily.
Eric Waxler, Karla Wildberger
and Kari Rolfing were just three
of Augustana's students who
worked in or near Custer State
Park in western South Dakota.
Fires there have already
consumed over 73,000 acres and
are still burning in some places.
Waxler, who worked at the
campground in the state park,
said that all of the roads in the
park closed for about a week
after lightning began the fire on
July 4. The workers at the
campground evacuated all who
were staying there. The park's
employees then stayed at the
armory in Custer until the next
week.
"Most of the fire was ground
burn, "said Waxier. Ground burn
are fires that only damage grass.
"But it got into the trees, and it'll
take hundreds of years for that to
grow back."
"Almost the entire fire was in
the park," Waxler said. "The
firefighters came from all over.
They camped really close to the
fire. More kept coming in, but
then a big rain came."
Waxier said the rain helped a
lot.
Waxier said that the fires at
Yellowstone National Park hurt
the campgrounds at Custer State
Park, since many tourists would
hear of the fires on the news and
decide to go home. All three of
the students agreed that the fires
greatly hurt the state park's
business.
Rolfing worked as a waitress
and was also a member of the
'Sojourners' Christian program
which puts on programs for the
campers at the nearby Custer
State Park. She said, "We were
right on the border of the
evacuation. Our church was used
a lot for the evacuation
information."
Rolfing added that the
'Sojourners' programs had to be
cancelled for a few weeks due to
the fires.
"Whenever you went into
town, you could see the
firefighters coming in all the
time. People were talking about
it all the time," she said.
Wildberger has worked at
Custer for the past three
summers. She, like Rolling, said
that the fires did not affect their
program directly, but that "we
had a lot of calls from the
campers who were going to be
there in later weeks. We kept
informing the campers of what
was going on. They were very
worried."
Wildberger mentioned that
she and the other workers at the
church could make a joke out of
the fires, but that it did worry
them.
"At night, we could see it
burning, "she said. "It was three
miles away at the most."
Local rapes cause Augustana
to increase security on campus
by Dorene Weinstein
staff writer
It is a sad commentary of our times, but
rape and sexual assault in urban areas is on the
increase. Nationwide, college areas are prime
targets for this type of crime .
Augustana is an urban college, physically
surrounded by residential areas. It does not sit
at the edge of a small town. It is centrally
located, with another college and three
hospitals located in the adjacent area. The
hospitals employ large numbers of females,
which increases the attractiveness of the area
to the crime element.
Gene Marko, head of Augustana security,
said that not all victims of rape will report
incidents because of intimidation by the
stigma of the crime or by the attacker. Often,
the student goes to the Residence Life office
first. She is then referred to the counseling and
Wellness Center at Solberg.
According to Karen Knight, assistant dean
of student serices and director of residence
life, there are three counselors at the Wellness
Center, two women and one man. If medical
care is needed, the Wellness Center has two
nurses on duty every morning. They can refer
the students to a local doctor if necessary.
Marko said that there have been 13 to 14
known assaults within the area in the last five
years. "Several of the assaults have been
committed by one person," he said. Because of
Augie's location and easily obtained
schedules, Marko said the campus is
somewhat open and vulnerable.
Knight and Marko agreed that crime at
Augie is not as great of a problem as it is at
larger, metropolitan area colleges.
Knight said, "We're low on crime compared
to other schools. Augustana continues to work
with the police department to make the
campus safer." Knight and Marko encourage
using a "buddy system" when travelling at
night, using common sense and not being
afraid to ask for help.
Marko said that the number of outdoor
lights has been increased to 35, and the power
of lights in the parking lots has been increased.
Marko said, "There is a key card system for
three dorms--in the future it will expand to all
dorms. This has helped to decrease non-student
traffic."
According to Marko, the security staff has
grown from two people to nine full-time and
part-time people. Their duties have gone from
20 percent security and 80 percent other duties
to 85 percent security and 15 percent other
duties. Marko said the security people are here
to break up and prevent disturbances. They do
not carry guns or weapons of any kind. From
4:30 p.m. to 8 a.m., there are two security
people available, one to man the phones and
one to patrol.
Knight said there will be a campus escort
service beginning in October. It will be staffed
by students who will escort other students
across campus. Knight said the ASA has
worked hard to get the program off the
ground.
Financial aid allows students to participate
in the work-study program as hall
receptionists at all the dorms. Knight said hall
receptionists are vital to security. There is also
a rule, implemented last year, that requires all
students in the halls after 9 p.m. to show their
Augustana ID. Knight said the rule will be
diligently enforced.
You remember all those things your mother
told you, such as keeping your doors locked,
not giveing personal information to strangers,
staying away from isolated areas, not hitch-hikeing
or riding with someone you've just
met and, most important, staying alert, being
aware of what's going on around you?
These are still good precautions to keep in
mind.
P. 3
Interim Abroad
offers chance to
travel and learn
p. 8
Journalism's
new empty book
revealed

Billowing smoke rises above the trees during the Custer National Park fire in western South Dakota
this summer. Photo by Kari Rolfing.
p. 4
Photo survey:
How do you feel
about Olympics?
Augustana College "Reflecting Augustana life for over 80 years" Thursday, September 22, 1988
Sioux Falls, South Dakota Volume 72, Number 2
Fire!
Students' summer jobs upset by national park blaze near Custer
by Beth Onnen
staff writer
This past summer, a group of
Augie students was part of a
tragedy that made national
headlines almost daily.
Eric Waxler, Karla Wildberger
and Kari Rolfing were just three
of Augustana's students who
worked in or near Custer State
Park in western South Dakota.
Fires there have already
consumed over 73,000 acres and
are still burning in some places.
Waxler, who worked at the
campground in the state park,
said that all of the roads in the
park closed for about a week
after lightning began the fire on
July 4. The workers at the
campground evacuated all who
were staying there. The park's
employees then stayed at the
armory in Custer until the next
week.
"Most of the fire was ground
burn, "said Waxier. Ground burn
are fires that only damage grass.
"But it got into the trees, and it'll
take hundreds of years for that to
grow back."
"Almost the entire fire was in
the park," Waxler said. "The
firefighters came from all over.
They camped really close to the
fire. More kept coming in, but
then a big rain came."
Waxier said the rain helped a
lot.
Waxier said that the fires at
Yellowstone National Park hurt
the campgrounds at Custer State
Park, since many tourists would
hear of the fires on the news and
decide to go home. All three of
the students agreed that the fires
greatly hurt the state park's
business.
Rolfing worked as a waitress
and was also a member of the
'Sojourners' Christian program
which puts on programs for the
campers at the nearby Custer
State Park. She said, "We were
right on the border of the
evacuation. Our church was used
a lot for the evacuation
information."
Rolfing added that the
'Sojourners' programs had to be
cancelled for a few weeks due to
the fires.
"Whenever you went into
town, you could see the
firefighters coming in all the
time. People were talking about
it all the time," she said.
Wildberger has worked at
Custer for the past three
summers. She, like Rolling, said
that the fires did not affect their
program directly, but that "we
had a lot of calls from the
campers who were going to be
there in later weeks. We kept
informing the campers of what
was going on. They were very
worried."
Wildberger mentioned that
she and the other workers at the
church could make a joke out of
the fires, but that it did worry
them.
"At night, we could see it
burning, "she said. "It was three
miles away at the most."
Local rapes cause Augustana
to increase security on campus
by Dorene Weinstein
staff writer
It is a sad commentary of our times, but
rape and sexual assault in urban areas is on the
increase. Nationwide, college areas are prime
targets for this type of crime .
Augustana is an urban college, physically
surrounded by residential areas. It does not sit
at the edge of a small town. It is centrally
located, with another college and three
hospitals located in the adjacent area. The
hospitals employ large numbers of females,
which increases the attractiveness of the area
to the crime element.
Gene Marko, head of Augustana security,
said that not all victims of rape will report
incidents because of intimidation by the
stigma of the crime or by the attacker. Often,
the student goes to the Residence Life office
first. She is then referred to the counseling and
Wellness Center at Solberg.
According to Karen Knight, assistant dean
of student serices and director of residence
life, there are three counselors at the Wellness
Center, two women and one man. If medical
care is needed, the Wellness Center has two
nurses on duty every morning. They can refer
the students to a local doctor if necessary.
Marko said that there have been 13 to 14
known assaults within the area in the last five
years. "Several of the assaults have been
committed by one person," he said. Because of
Augie's location and easily obtained
schedules, Marko said the campus is
somewhat open and vulnerable.
Knight and Marko agreed that crime at
Augie is not as great of a problem as it is at
larger, metropolitan area colleges.
Knight said, "We're low on crime compared
to other schools. Augustana continues to work
with the police department to make the
campus safer." Knight and Marko encourage
using a "buddy system" when travelling at
night, using common sense and not being
afraid to ask for help.
Marko said that the number of outdoor
lights has been increased to 35, and the power
of lights in the parking lots has been increased.
Marko said, "There is a key card system for
three dorms--in the future it will expand to all
dorms. This has helped to decrease non-student
traffic."
According to Marko, the security staff has
grown from two people to nine full-time and
part-time people. Their duties have gone from
20 percent security and 80 percent other duties
to 85 percent security and 15 percent other
duties. Marko said the security people are here
to break up and prevent disturbances. They do
not carry guns or weapons of any kind. From
4:30 p.m. to 8 a.m., there are two security
people available, one to man the phones and
one to patrol.
Knight said there will be a campus escort
service beginning in October. It will be staffed
by students who will escort other students
across campus. Knight said the ASA has
worked hard to get the program off the
ground.
Financial aid allows students to participate
in the work-study program as hall
receptionists at all the dorms. Knight said hall
receptionists are vital to security. There is also
a rule, implemented last year, that requires all
students in the halls after 9 p.m. to show their
Augustana ID. Knight said the rule will be
diligently enforced.
You remember all those things your mother
told you, such as keeping your doors locked,
not giveing personal information to strangers,
staying away from isolated areas, not hitch-hikeing
or riding with someone you've just
met and, most important, staying alert, being
aware of what's going on around you?
These are still good precautions to keep in
mind.
P. 3
Interim Abroad
offers chance to
travel and learn
p. 8
Journalism's
new empty book
revealed